Automated shipboard material handling and storage system

Abstract

A system and method for automated handling, transferring and storing conventional cargo storage containers on a cargo ship wherein the containers are stored in a multi-tier cell system and are manipulated by powered transfer units which are selectively moveable along an intersecting overhead track system such that containers may be simultaneously retrieved from, moved or placed within any of the cells of the ship. The transfer units are equipped both with hoists, which control spreader beams which are selectively secured to the cargo containers, and guide stabilizers, which prevent undesirable movement of the cargo containers when they are elevated above the cell structures such that the containers may be manipulated even during rough sea conditions such that the system is essentially continuously operable as a floating supply distribution system.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention is generally directed to methods and devices utilized with container ships for loading and discharging standardized cargo shipping containers and more particularly to an automated multi-directional material handling system which may be used to selectively retrieve and discharge containers while a ship is at sea. [0003] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art [0004] The most efficient and economical manner of shipping goods over waterways is the use of standardized cargo containers. The containers are designated in standard sizes which are generally twenty or forty feet in length. The containers are specifically designed so that they may be loaded into the holds and on the decks of ocean going vessels and off loaded from the vessels at a port by use of either on-board or on-shore cranes which place the containers directly onto land transport vehicles including railway cars and trucks. Container ships a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The system is designed to provide a space above the upper tier of each cell which is large enough for the transfer units to maneuver while suspending a spreader beam therefrom such that the containers may be manipulated throughout the grid system and moved from one cell area to another beneath a raised deck of a ship. This not only enables movement of containers without placing the containers to the upper deck of the ship but also allows containers to be moved without having to remove the hatch covers above a cell in order to retrieve a specific cargo container from a predetermined area.

[0012] Using the system of the present invention, it is possible to utilize a single crane which may be in a fixed position along the deck of a container ship and move the cargo containers to specified discharge areas wherein one or more hatch covers may be removed while maintaining the other hatch covers closed during either loading or off-loading of the storage containers. The system thereby reduces the amount of effort and manual labor which is necessary to access the storage containers, permits movement of multiple containers within an area below the deck but above the cell structures such that the container may be interchangeably manipulated from space to space and further permits the area of the hold to be protected by being substantially covered by the removable hatch plates except in an area designated for loading and off-loading.

[0013] It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an automated material handling, retrieval and storage system for container ships which allows the ships to function as moveable supply sources such that supplies from containers may be manipulated while at sea, even during poor weather conditions, by providing a systems which enables cargo containers to be selectively retrieved and manipulated below deck for above deck transfer when and as necessary.

[0014] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a material handling system for use on container ships which facilitates the efficient maneuvering, loading and off-loading of standardized cargo containers wherein a plurality of transfer units move the containers simultaneously along a grid track system so that a plurality of containers may be moved simultaneously without interfering with one another.

[0015] It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated material handling system for use on container ships wherein the cargo stowage cells of the ship may be placed in an unconventional orientation, such as an L-shaped configuration, which would not other wise be possible utilizing bridge crane structures which operate in a predetermined rectangular plan, as the grid structure of the present invention allows movement of transfer units throughout the total surface area of a hold of a ship regardless of its configuration.

[0016] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a material handling, retrieval and storage system for standardized international cargo containers which enables specific containers to be retrieved from any level of a multi-tiered cell structure of a hold without requiring that containers be elevated above the deck level thus making the system safer not only for the materials but also for personnel handling the cargo containers.

Problems solved by technology

There are several drawbacks with respect to current container ship load handling or transfer systems.

Utilizing conventional systems it is not possible to easily retrieve a specified container which may be located at a bottom of a cell without requiring the removal and temporary placement of other containers along the deck of the ship.

During rough sea conditions, such retrieval is not possible.

A further drawback of current container ship material handling systems which utilize bridge cranes for elevating and lowering the shipping containers is that only a single bridge crane can operate over a given area of the ship at any one time, thus slowing the rate at which containers can be retrieved or stowed relative to the cells of the container ship.

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